The present invention relates to a keyboard apparatus for an electronic musical keyboard instrument such as an electronic piano or an electronic organ.
2. Description of the Related Art
In electronic musical keyboard instruments such as electronic pianos, electronic organs, or electronic synthesizers, a plurality of keys constructed by white and black keys are provided on a musical instrument body (hereinafter referred to as "a musical instrument case") in accordance with a predetermined arrangement. The keys are installed in the musical instrument case such that each key is rotated around each base end portion thereof as a rotary fulcrum in a vertical direction.
There are a plurality of methods of installing keys in the musical instrument case in such electronic musical keyboard instruments. In a first installing method, the base end portion of each key is attached directly from an upper surface side on the musical instrument case with which a front panel is integrally molded. In a second installing method, the base end portion of each key is firstly attached to a keyboard chassis as another component. Then, this keyboard chassis is attached from a lower surface side in the musical instrument case with which a front panel is integrally molded to expose the keys on the musical instrument case.
In the former first installing method, the base end portions of the keys can be attached from the front surface side of the musical instrument case on the musical instrument case. Accordingly, the installing work is simple and ready. However, since the attaching structure of the base end portions of the keys are exposed out of the musical instrument case, its external appearance is defective. Therefore, this musical instrument particularly needs a concealing member for concealing the attaching structure of the base end portions of the keys. The concealing member increases the number of components of the keyboard apparatus and hence a cost increases.
In the latter second installing method, the attaching structure of the base end portions of keys is disposed in the musical instrument case. Accordingly, the attaching structure is not exposed out of the musical instrument case. However, a work for attaching the keyboard chassis as another component from the rear surface side in the musical instrument case causes the troublesome assembly of the keyboard apparatus. The keyboard chassis increases in number of components of the keyboard apparatus and hence a cost increases.
A keyboard apparatus having a plurality of keys integrally molded of synthetic resin which each other is disclosed, for example in Published unexamined Japanese Patent Application Nos. 64-91186 and 64-91187, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,205,754 and 3,797,357. In this keyboard apparatus, the numbers of components directly relative to a plurality of keys and assembling steps can be reduced to certain degree, but a reduction in the numbers of the components and the assembling steps of an entire keyboard apparatus is insufficient.